In summer, both humans and animals are exposed to the bites of blood-sucking insects. Among all other Diptera fauna, it is worth emphasizing the small midges. These Hymenoptera, a few millimeters in size, can cause a lot of trouble for a person.

What are the features of Simuliidae and how to avoid the dangerous consequences of their bites? What to do if the midge bites into the eye and it swells? What measures to take for treatment of bug-induced lesions?

What an insect is a gnat

According to the zoological classification, the midge belongs to the same order as the common flies and mosquitoes. The peculiarity of Simuliidae lies in their small size and the saliva poisonous to humans, which they lubricate the place of bite. These small, blood-sucking insects are nests with flies, mosquitoes and mosquitoes. In total, there are about 1800 species of midges in nature, and they live on all continents of the globe with the exception of Antarctica.

Inhabit moss in the area where there are ponds with running water - rivers, streams. The larvae are very small and transparent, almost invisible in the water. They move through aquatic plants, feeding on microscopic representatives of the animal world. Then the larvae pupate, and after a while an adult appears in the light. The moths live about a month. Like mosquitoes, male Simuliidae feed on plant nectar, and the blood of mammals and birds is drunk by females - this is necessary for them to develop future offspring.

Small bloodsuckers are active in summer on hot days and in the morning. They wait for their prey on the high stems of grass. Attacking a person, insects are guided by the smell of sweat. Attacks are massively committed, so often with bite of the midges, the victim needs help.

What is dangerous bite of midges

The main feature of the bite of Simuliidae is a strong irritation of human skin with saliva, which includes substances of different toxicity. Moss bite differently than mosquitoes. With their jaws, they pinch off a small piece of the top layer of the skin and immediately lubricate the wound with saliva containing the anesthetic. Therefore, initially the bite of midge is almost painless. Then the insect lapses the blood and lymph, which appears on the surface of the wound.

irritation of the skin

The saliva of these gnats is a strong hemolytic poison and contains a whole complex of substances, including anticoagulants, vasodilators, enzymes that break down the nutrient constituents of the blood to facilitate digestion by its midges. These substances are of a protein nature, they cause itching, edema, painful sensations, inflammation and allergic reactions. Often, after a midges bite, the leg or hand swells. What to do in this case? You will need treatment - in medicine this poisoning is called - simulototoksikoz.

In a place of a bite after a while there is a strong itch. It lasts for several days and even weeks, which provokes calculus and skin damage, especially in children. When infection of the wound develops purulent inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, requiring long-term treatment. What to smear bites of Simuliidae depends on what stage of damage is the skin.

Moss can not tolerate any diseases that are dangerous to humans. Exceptions are insects that live in countries of Asia and Africa. They can serve as transmissible vectors (with blood) of onchocerciasis or mechanically transfer causative agents of cholera, tularemia, anthrax.

How to treat bites of midges

So, if the midge damages the skin, itching, swelling and soreness. Itching is the most frequent complaint of victims, as it is very intrusive and leads to skin cleansing, which can become infected and inflamed, which is a completely different picture of the disease. Edema can also become a serious problem if they are large enough or the place of bite falls on the face, neck, and toes.

Immediately after receiving bite bugs, try to prevent the development of a strong reaction to toxins. What if the midge bites, for example, on the lip or other tender parts of the body? The following procedures should be performed:

rinse the wound with clean cold water, get wet with a napkin;

Cool the skin at the bite site with pieces of ice;

pinch the place of the bite for a few minutes with your fingers or apply a pressure bandage (with extensive edema);

get wet with a swab dipped in any antiseptic on an alcoholic basis - a solution of ethyl alcohol, furacilin;

A few hours after the bite, rashes appear on the skin of a different nature. You can treat them with lotions from a solution of soda (one teaspoon per glass of water) or ammonia. On the damaged sites, creams, gels and ointments with antiallergic action are applied:

"Fenistil" gel;

"Cynovitis" cream;

"Prednisolone" ointment;

"Gyioxysone" ointment.

How can you smear bite of Simuliidae in children? For children under one year, the use of hormonal drugs is not recommended. They will use Fenistil gel and distracting agents such as balm Zvezdochka.

Cure with itching will help wet-drying bandage with a 0.5% solution of novocaine or alcohol solution. Facilitate the condition of light stroking the skin with the pads of the fingers, applying to the edema solution "Menovazine" and other menthol-containing drugs.

In neglected cases, the bite bites are transferred to the stage of wounds, which are inflammatory processes in the skin. Their treatment can be delayed for a long time - it all depends on the depth of tissue damage, infection by putrefactive bacteria and the timeliness of the beginning of treatment. They consist in the following daily actions:

with the general reactions of the body to infection (fever), the doctor prescribes antibiotics in the form of injections.

In some cases, it is necessary to resort to surgical treatment of the wound - removing the scab, pus, and dead tissue.

After the wound has cleared from the products of inflammation, has acquired a pink color, the appearance of a new skin begins to make daily dressings with aqueous solutions of antiseptic agents and apply healing ointments:

Bepanten;

"Dexpanthenol";

"Pantenol";

"Actovegin";

"Methyluracil";

Solcoseryl.

After a massive attack of midge on a child or an adult, various allergic reactions are possible. Their manifestation depends:

from the number of bites and varieties of midges;

the state of the human immune system;

general propensity to allergic manifestations;

individual reactions to the saliva of insects;

infection of wounds during combing.

As a rule, the more painful the bite is, the higher the likelihood of allergic reactions.

The most characteristic symptoms of allergy to a bite's bite are:

buccal edema

strong edema at the site of the bite;

unremitting itching;

extensive redness in the bite area;

the appearance of a rash on the skin, and it often has a diverse character (polymorphic);

in small children regional lymph nodes can react;

an increase in body temperature and the appearance of signs of intoxication - dizziness, nausea, weakness.

General reactions are also attributed to the possible increase in heart rate, the drop in blood pressure.

Treatment of allergies

When developing an allergic reaction, use local remedies with antihistamine action and ointments with corticosteroids (before applying them it is necessary to treat the bite site, as described above). Recommended ointments and gels from biting midges:

Advantan;

Fenistil;

Hydrocortisone.

If bitten by a midges, how quickly to get rid of a tumor? In case of severe edema, take the tablet "Suprastin", "Dimedrol", other antihistamines ("Zirtek", "Claritin"). To reduce the pain symptom, "Paracetamol" or "Acetaminophen" is used.

The development of serious allergic reactions, such as anaphylactic shock or the development of Quincke edema, is rarely recorded on bite flies. In any case, if you feel worse, have a fever and other signs of general intoxication, you should consult a doctor.

Eye damage

An unpleasant feature of the bite of a midge is that, with small sizes of an insect, it is able to penetrate the ears, nasal cavity, often bites the lip or the eye. The last cases are especially dangerous for health - if the treatment is wrong, damage to the ocular membranes can lead to loss of vision. Therefore, you need to contact a profile doctor (ophthalmologist), who will prescribe the necessary drugs. Measures of first aid first aid consist of the following actions.

Rinse your eyes with cold running water.

How to remove the edema if the midge bites into the eye? It is necessary to lubricate eyelids with ointment against allergic manifestations ("Hydrocortisone", "Fenistil gel"), preventing it from getting into the eyes.

Apply a cold compress.

What if the baby was bitten by a midge and swollen? If the bite came into the eye area - the eyelid, the eyebrow, the cheekbone, then the bite treatment is conducted in the same way as in other cases: washed, cooled, disinfected and lubricated with an anti-inflammatory cream.

People's remedies for a bite of midges

Since attacks of bloodsucking insects occur mainly in nature, you often have to use improvised means, because not always in the arsenal of the tourist there is a first aid kit. In such cases, the following folk remedies for biting mosquitoes come to the rescue.

Lotions from a saturated solution of salt (a teaspoon to a glass of water).

What else are treated for bites of Simuliidae at home? You can remove edema in one of these ways:

Wipe the place of bite with a piece of soap for a few minutes;

do lotions from diluted in equal proportions with water of vinegar;

compresses from vegetable oil with the addition of essential oils of mint and lemon (5 drops per tablespoon).

And to remove the itch from a bite of midges will help any balms or toothpastes with menthol and mint.

What can not be done with a bite bite

When biting insects can not:

comb the wound;

To wash off damage by means of household chemical goods (except simple soap);

apply antihistaminic ointments, menthol-containing remedies on the open wound surface (only on intact skin around the wound);

apply alcohol solutions on the healing wound (water only);

independently take antibiotics and antiallergic drugs.

As a prophylactic measure of bite bugs hide vulnerable places (hands and face), which are usually naked in the summer. They need to be protected with clothing, and during the rest, use a mosquito net. Skin can be treated with special means - attractants, repelling insects.

If you still get a bite of midges, then you can use the popular advice how to remove the edema - attach a gruel from the leaves, make a lotion from the soda or saline solution. When allergic reactions occur, use antihistamine ointments and tablets. In severe cases, you need to see a doctor.